evans

After he took his first win in Estonia, Pajari made it back-to-back WRC victories to move into second in the standings behind Evans.

Pajari was the beneficiary when nine-time champion Sebastien Ogier crashed out of the lead on Saturday’s penultimate stage on a high-speed right-hand corner on the fast gravel roads.

Both Ogier and co-driver Julien Ingrassia were taken to hospital after the accident but the French driver posted on social media on Saturday night that the pair would remain in hospital overnight as a precaution but “we both feel okay, which is the most important”.

Oliver Solberg, who was battling back pain on the fast jumps on the stages, and co-driver Elliott Edmondson finished in second place to complete a Toyota lock-out of the podium places.

The Hyundai duo of Adrien Fourmaux and Thierry Neuville were fourth and fifth, while Takamoto Katsuta and Northern Ireland co-driver Aaron Johnston crashed into trees on the final stage but recovered to finish in sixth place.

After the issues for Katsuta and Ogier, Pajari is now second in the standings behind Evans ahead 11th round of the season in Paraguay from 27-30 August.

Motorsport Ireland driver Josh McErlean finished the rally in seventh position as the best of the M-Sport Ford drivers.

Team-mate Martins Sesks crashed heavily on Saturday to drop out of fifth place, while Jon Armstrong’s chances of a strong result came to an end on Friday after he spun and got stuck in a ditch.

“It’s been a crazy weekend in terms of all the crews,” McErlean said.

“A lot of new stages, a lot of new pace notes and whenever you come to a rally this fast it is super-difficult to get right.

“So we have to be pleased to get through cleanly”.

Rally Finland results

1. Sami Pajari FIN/Marko Salminen FIN (Toyota) 2:27.358.0

2. Oliver Solberg SWE/Elliott Edmundson GB (Toyota) +26.7 seconds

3. Elfyn Evans GB/Scott Martin GB (Toyota) +1:19.5

4. Adrien Fourmaux FRA/Alex Coria FRA (Hyundai) +1:35.4

5. Thierry Neuville BEL/Martijn Wydaeghe BEL (Hyundai) +3:52.5

6. Takamoto Katsuta JPN/Aaron Johnston IRL (Toyota) +4:18.2

7. Josh McErlean IRL/Eoin Treacy IRL (M-Sport Ford) +4:32.7

….

43. Martins Sesks LAT/Francis Renars LAT (M-Sport Ford) +51:52.4

47. Jon Armstrong IRL/Shane Byrne IRL (M-Sport Ford) +1:21.39.6

DNF. Sebastien Ogier FRA/Julian Ingrassia FRA (Toyota)

DNF. Esapekka Lappi FIN/Enni Malkonen FIN (Hyundai)

World Rally Championship standings (after round 10/14)

1. Elfyn Evans GB (Toyota) 201 points

2. Sami Pajari FIN (Toyota) 171

3. Takamoto Katsuta JPN (Toyota) 160

4. Oliver Solberg SWE (Toyota) 156

5. Sebastien Ogier FRA (Toyota) 139

6. Adrien Fourmaux FRA (Hyundai) 129

7. Thierry Neuville BEL (Hyundai) 125

8. Esapekka Lappi FIN (Hyundai) 25

9. Hayden Paddon NZL (Hyundai) 21

10. Josh McErlean IRL (M-Sport Ford) 21

A Scottish gold made up for the fact Scott missed out on his bid to defend his 200m freestyle title and add a 16th Commonwealth medal, having failed to qualify for the final at the end of a rigorous schedule.

And Evans’ success was not the only one cheered to the roof of Tollcross instead.

Aberdeen’s Toni Shaw stopped an Australian clean sweep of medals in the women’s S9 100m freestlye final to replicate the bronze of Birmingham four years ago.

“I had lots and lots of nerves even before the walkout, all day since my heat,” Shaw told BBC Scotland.

“But we’ve got a good support team and they helped me keep my cool and wish me luck. All you can do is swim as fast as you can and that’s the mentality I went into the race with.”

Meanwhile, Keanna MacInnes added 200m butterfly silver, having also come second in the 100m. The 24-year-old played her part in the relay silver too to take her own tally to three.

As she stood next to her relay team-mates Katie Shanahan, Evans, and Evelyn Davis the Stirling swimmer reflected on a Games during which Scottish swimmers have delivered 12 medals, four of them gold.

“If you said to me at the start of the week I’d win two medals I’d be over the moon – sneaking that extra mixed medley one last night was special for all of us,” MacInnes said.

“We heard it a 100 times, about the crowd being amazing but it absolutely delivered. I’m a proud and patriotic Scot so there’s been a lot of tears this week.

“Not only is it 12 medals but there are a lot of golds and silvers, not necessarily sneaking into bronze. That shows the depth.

“There were so many finals with multiple Scots in them. So not just medals but lots of personal and season’s bests which shows how good the team has been this week.”

Tom Holland is officially the first “Hot Ones” guest to really spill his guts during a spicy interview.

During a Thursday appearance on the popular talk show — where guests answer questions while eating chicken wings with increasingly spicy sauces — the actor struggled to keep his composure.

Host Sean Evans cranked up the heat with each burning question to Holland and fellow actor Jon Bernthal, his co-star in not one but two of the biggest cinematic events of the summer, “The Odyssey” and “Spider-Man: Brand New Day.” While Holland began the interview with an eloquent discussion of his two blockbuster films, Evans’ lineup of 10 hot sauces, each hotter than the one before, had the “Uncharted” star on the verge of blacking out.

After Holland bit into his chicken wing slathered with the second sauce — Hot Bergine, a roasted eggplant and tomato sauce with a 3/10 heat level — the actor described his first day on the set of Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey.”

“I wanted to get a bit of a jump on how Chris likes to work and just watch from afar,” he said, noting that he wasn’t filming any scenes that day, but watched his colleagues working from the beach. “I arrived at the beach, and I could not see a single crew member. You just see miles and miles of ships and extras and warriors and horses, and you’re asking yourself, ‘Where is the crew?’”

“So then they asked me to walk down this beach, and every 10 minutes you’d hear ‘Rolling!’ and I’d have to lie down and hide behind these dunes. And I kept asking myself, where are they rolling? I can’t see the crew anywhere. Then eventually I got down to where Matt [Damon] was and his men, and it really felt at that moment like we were a part of something that had never been done before.”

By sauce No. 4 — Chickpotle, a creamy chickpea sauce with smoky chipotle and ghost pepper with a 4/10 heat level — Holland and Bernthal were loosening up and trading barbs. Holland discussed how speaking in an American accent (rather than his native British) is almost like having a disguise, which makes his job as an actor easier.

“But I would love to explore some more British accents because you know, as an island, we have some of the most interesting, unique, and fun accents,” he told Evans. “I think there’s more accents in Britain than any other country.”

Bernthal, visibly uncomfortable from the heat of his own chicken wing, quipped, “Why does it always got to come to competition … I would go out on a on a limb to say there are more accents in America than there are in Britain.”

Holland said he would “drink a shot of that hottest hot sauce” to prove he’s right. After some quick fact checking, “Hot Ones” production confirmed that Holland was correct — among English-speaking countries, anyway.

By hot sauce No. 10 — The Last Dab: Thermageddon, described as a slow-building superhot sauce forged with Pepper X, Apollo, Carolina Reaper and Scorpion peppers, ranked at a heat level of 11/10 — the two actors had completely lost their composure and appeared nearly drunk on hot sauce.

Eyes red, cheeks tear-stained and foreheads pouring sweat, the two squirmed in their seats and Bernthal said he was going to be sick. Still, the “Odyssey” star appeared to have made it through without spewing any body fluids.

Then Holland got up to snap a photo with Bernthal and Evans and barfed on the floor. While the actor may have been embarrassed, Bernthal cheered and Evans crowned him the first guest to lose his lunch.

Last year, Evans told The Times that the interview format, with its squirm-inducing sauces, was a tactic to turn what might otherwise be a typical press tour interview into something raw and real.

“On ‘Hot Ones’ you have those moments of people who are struggling, who are vulnerable, who are in a borderline state of panic. You have emotions that are real, and all of these things are so hard to get to in a traditional interview setting,” he said. “The fact that we can create these moments, and then combine it with this thoughtful career-spanning interview, all of those elements working together, it just gives you a unique look at the celebrity guests … What we’re doing is knocking them off of that pedestal down to a level that everyone can relate to. It’s very human.”

In 2024, Evans sacrificed the 500 ranking points he had won at the Washington Open the previous year to partner fellow Briton Andy Murray for his final tournament at the Paris Olympics.

The pair lost in the quarter-finals in what was the last match of Murray’s illustrious career.

“Representing Great Britain in both Davis Cup and the Olympics remains the greatest honour of my career and something I will cherish for the rest of my life,” added Evans, who played 28 Davis Cup ties for Great Britain.

Evans, who was suspended for a year after testing positive for cocaine in 2017, thanked his family for their “unwavering support through every high and low”.

“I’m looking forward to finishing on a high… and giving everything I have one last time,” he said.

Wimbledon starts on 29 June, although Evans would have to go through qualifying or receive a wildcard to play in the main draw.

He has failed to advance through qualifying at the past three Grand Slams, while he received a wildcard for last year’s Wimbledon.

The tournament’s wildcard committee will meet on Tuesday to decide which players they would like to invite into the main draw.

LUKE Evans caused the Tony Awards audience to blush and sent social media spiraling after performing in a scandalously skimpy Frank-N-Furter costume live on CBS.

The Beauty and the Beast actor left little to the imagination, wearing just a tiny black jockstrap, a leather corset and sky-high heels for Sunday night’s Rocky Horror Show performance. 

During the 79th Tony Awards held at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, the ceremony paid tribute to the hit Broadway revival of The Rocky Horror Show. 

Luke, 47, emerged through a cloud of smoke to perform his starring role as the iconic Dr. Frank-N-Furter with glam-rock chaos in full force.

He completed the sexy look with fishnet stockings, elbow-length gloves, dramatic stage makeup and the crystal-covered corset before launching into a raunchy rendition of the track Sweet Transvestite alongside the cast.

At one point during the performance, the Welsh actor spun around to flash the crowd in the barely-there costume while grinding across the stage and dramatically whipping off a velvet cape to reveal the jockstrap underneath.

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The raunchy performance instantly sent social media into a meltdown as viewers praised Luke for fully committing to the campy cult-classic character.

“Luke Evans shaking his d**k and a** on stage at the Tony Awards while wearing his slutty Rocky Horror Frank-N-Furter costume…this is what Pride Month is all about!” one fan wrote on X.

Another viewer joked: “I did NOT expect Luke Evans in six-inch heels and a corset at the Tonys but now I never want him to take it off.”

A third person posted: “Broadway Luke Evans might be his most powerful form yet.”

Luke has been starring as Frank-N-Furter in the Broadway revival of The Rocky Horror Show since previews began earlier this spring, with the production officially having its opening back in April at the Hudson Theatre.

The actor previously admitted he spent months preparing physically for the demanding role, which includes elaborate choreography, live vocals and multiple quick-change costume moments throughout the show.

Frank-N-Furter, the provocative alien scientist at the center of Rocky Horror, was originally made famous by Tim Curry in the 1975 cult-classic film adaptation.

Now, Luke has made it his own, putting a darker and more seductive spin on the iconic role.

While Luke may be stirring up conversation on Broadway these days, the actor has spent years building an impressive resume across film, television and theater.

Many fans recognize the star as the villainous Gaston in Disney’s 2017 live-action Beauty and the Beast opposite Emma Watson, where his booming musical vocals and cocky swagger made him a standout.

He also starred as Bard the Bowman in The Hobbit trilogy and played the sinister Owen Shaw in Fast & Furious 6 before later reprising the role in the franchise’s spinoff projects.

On television, Luke has taken on darker dramatic roles in projects including The Alienist, Nine Perfect Strangers and Hulu’s true-crime miniseries Nine Bodies in a Mexican Morgue.

Broadway audiences, meanwhile, have long known Luke for his powerhouse stage vocals. 

Before his Hollywood breakthrough, he starred in major London West End productions including Rent, Miss Saigon, Avenue Q and Piaf.

His turn as Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Show marks Luke’s splashiest return to the stage in years – and judging by the positive Tony Awards reaction, audiences are fully embracing his comeback.

The actor’s Tony Awards appearance quickly became one of the night’s most viral moments alongside Megan Thee Stallion’s Moulin Rouge-inspired twerking performance and host Pink’s over-the-top opening number.

The 79th Annual Tony Awards aired live Sunday night from Radio City Music Hall in New York City.